Living with the Arrogant Queen from High School is Surprisingly Not Uncomfortable

[Hayashi POV]

***

When I woke up from a bad dream, tears were streaming from my eyes. Memories from that time are gradually being overcome with the passage of time. However, when it comes to dreams that I see unexpectedly, I can’t keep my composure.

Right now, in this room, there’s a man who’s living with me.

Not wanting him to see me like this, I frantically searched the room with my eyes to see where he was.

The man… Yamamoto, was an early riser. It was the height of the slothful summer holidays for a university student. He, with his perverse hobbies, would wake up at six in the morning regardless of when he went to bed the night before and start cleaning on his own.

Sure enough, Yamamoto was not in his futon.

He wasn’t in the living room either.

“Whoa! I managed to remove a ton of hair from the drain!”

It seems he was in the bathroom.

He usually acts cool, but when it comes to cleaning, maybe he can’t suppress the passion within him and occasionally lets out strange cries.

At first glance, he’s a problematic guy, and even after a second and third look, he’s clearly still problematic and beyond help.

But this morning, I found myself laughing at his ridiculous antics. I wiped the tears from the corners of my eyes and began to make breakfast for the cleaning-obsessed man who saved me from that hell.

After having breakfast together, he started cleaning again after a while. It was a Friday in the final week of the summer holidays. I decided to bring up a matter to him as usual, around the time he started snoring the previous night.

“Hey, Yamamoto. There’s a place I want to go today.”

“Oh? Where?”

“A bookstore.”

“A bookstore, huh?”

Yamamoto, who was engrossed in cleaning and had his back to me, seemed to take my words seriously after a while and looked up, grunting.

“Maybe I should go too.”

“No, that was the plan from the start?”

“Huh?”

“Huh?”

There seems to be some misunderstanding, but when I said to him that I wanted to go to the bookstore, I meant for us to go together, not for me to go alone. It’s troubling to see him with a face as if he’s been hit by a bolt from the blue.

“… Well, whatever. What are you buying, Hayashi?”

“A reference book for bookkeeping.”

“What, are you taking a bookkeeping exam?”

“Yeah. …If I just stay in this room, I’m just a leech, right?”

Yamamoto, who had returned to his work, turned only his face toward me.

Silence for a while.

“…I’ve never thought of you, who does housework other than cleaning, as a leech?”

“What are you talking about? You’re a university student with no decent income, and you’re burdened with keeping a NEET like me.”

“Don’t say you’re a NEET. Aren’t you just gathering your strength right now?”

“…I’m going to work too.”

“So…”

“I’ll start with a part-time job, but I’ll get a qualification and find a job.”

Yamamoto maintains a subtle expression. Perhaps, despite harboring me, he doesn’t know how much he should intervene in my matters. What a foolish guy. He doesn’t need to worry about such things, he should just do whatever he wants with me. Like someone else, he could use me as an outlet for stress or desires.

At least he, who saved me from that hell, has the right to do so. That’s what I believe.

“…Is it impossible for you to return to college?”

Yamamoto’s words struck a nerve.

I hadn’t expected him to think of that. I hadn’t anticipated it at all.

“That’s impossible. I’ve already quit.”

“But you… you only had to quit because you were forced into a corner.”

Yamamoto hung his head sadly. He’s basically a weirdo, but every once in a while he shows such a terribly sad face. I don’t want to see this face. Because usually when he makes this face, it’s due to something I’ve caused. So, it makes me feel overwhelmingly guilty.

“Anyway, I’ve already decided.”

“…I see.”

“Thank you. For worrying about someone like me.”

Yamamoto’s face still didn’t brighten up. For a while after that, he cleaned the room with a subtle expression on his face.

Then, after we finished lunch, we went to the bookstore. By this time, Yamamoto seemed to have switched his mood, and he was his usual self.

The bookstore.

We were having a bit of a dispute.

“That’s why it would be more efficient if we acted separately.”

“But! We didn’t come to the bookstore together to seek efficiency!”

When I spoke to efficiency-oriented Yamamoto in a strong tone, he caved. While dragging him along as he grumbled behind me, we browsed the bookstore together. I wonder why. Maybe because he was behind me, browsing the bookstore was somewhat fun.

As planned, I bought a reference book on bookkeeping, and Yamamoto bought a book on cleaning techniques.

He usually doesn’t talk much, but when he talks about a book he has decided to buy, he becomes unusually talkative, passionately explaining the greatness of the book to me. I could only understand about 10%, no, 0% of what he was saying.

“Here.”

Yamamoto suddenly held out his hand in front of me.

“What? Do you want a high-five?”

“No. I’ll hold the book.”

“…Thank you.”

With a solemn expression, I handed my book to Yamamoto.

Surprisingly, this guy is quite considerate. If we go to the supermarket together, he’ll always carry the things we buy, and when we walk on the sidewalk, he always walks on the road side.

Despite that, he seems to be quite aware of a girl’s feelings… At some point, I started thinking that he might be a Dense Thickhead (DT). I still doubt that, but I’ve started to think that he might have had at least one romantic relationship with the opposite sex.

However, every time I come to that conclusion, I shake my head to deny it. For some reason, every time I fall into such thinking, I feel bad.

“Sorry, can we stop by the bathroom before we head back?”

“Mm. I’ll wait.”

Yamamoto went to the bathroom.

I decided to fiddle with my smartphone by the bookstore’s exit.

“Huh, Meg?”

It was a familiar voice.

“…Ah, Akari.”

I had been careless.

This was the nearest bookstore from Akari’s house. There was a possibility of running into her.

…That day.

From the day I learned that Yamamoto had confessed to Akari in the past, I hadn’t hung out with her. It wasn’t that I disliked her. I, too, had rejected boys’ confessions more than once or twice.

…However, it was undeniable that I was avoiding her due to the feelings lingering in my heart.

“Geez, you haven’t been in touch since that day. What are you doing here today?”

“…Just shopping. Thought I might study bookkeeping.”

“Bookkeeping? Wow, Meg, are you trying to get a qualification?”

“…Yeah.”

“I see, I see. Go for it! Absolutely, you have to try your best! I’m cheering for you.”

“Thank you.”

“…By the way,”

Akari suddenly seemed conscious of our surroundings.

“Is Yamamoto-kun with you today?”

Just a casual comment.

Akari, who knew that I was staying at his house, had made it as simple as… small talk.

But, I couldn’t help thinking.

…Even though she had once rejected Yamamoto.

Why was Akari so composed?

In retrospect, it was strange.

During high school, Akari was always by my side. She was one of the few people who weren’t just hanging around me to use me. That’s why I could trust her. That’s why we became best friends.

…Because we were always together, I knew.

Akari always kept a certain distance from boys. Body touch was out of the question. Because she attracted more attention from boys than I did, she was careful to avoid contact with boys so as not to raise their expectations.

But the other day, Akari, to Yamamoto, just…

Did she toy with him?

Did Akari toy with Yamamoto, who had confessed to her?

…I felt strange.

This emotion lodged in my heart, this passion… against my precious best friend.

“…I heard, Akari.”

“Hm? What?”

“You were confessed to by Yamamoto in high school, weren’t you?”

I hadn’t intended to say it.

Yamamoto seemed reluctant to tell me about his confession to Akari. No, maybe he really didn’t want to tell me. Because I thoughtlessly stirred up his feelings, he had no choice but to tell me.

As a result, I made Yamamoto sad.

Pursuing the matter here, in any form, would torment Yamamoto.

I didn’t want that at all. Not one bit.

…And yet.

And yet, I said it.

I could tell that Akari’s face clouded over.

For a while, Akari seemed to hesitate.

It was the first time I had seen her like this, even though we were best friends in high school.

“You heard about it.”

“…Yeah. I heard everything.”

“I see. You ended up hearing it.”

Akari gave a wry smile as if she had given up.

“…Yeah. It’s just as you said, Meg.”

“…I knew it.”

“I’m sorry. It’s not that I wanted to hide it. I just never found the right time to tell you. That’s all…”

I didn’t want to hear those words.

I didn’t want to hear such words.

…But.

But all I wanted… was for Akari to apologize to Yamamoto for toying with his feelings. That was all.

Resignedly, Akari said,

“As you said, Meg, we were dating.”

With a very sad face, she confessed.

“…What?”

A very pathetic voice leaked from my mouth.